THE SIGHT
by Syngi
Summary: With visions of those who have died and those who have yet to live, Duo is given a mission to set things in motion so the future can be saved but nothing is ever as easy as it seems. One breath, one life and it all becomes a house of cards.
1. Chapter 1

**_Okay this little ditty was kept pounding at me until I finally had (out of desperation for my sanity) put it down on paper. Now whether or not it goes on I could not say and I'm not so sure. (not begging for anything here) The source for this is a movie call "the Sight" with Andrew McCarthy, Amanda Redman, and Kevin Tighe (many others as well) and is really quite good. (you should look it up and watch it) I wish they had made a second one because the movie sort of ended with out an ending - sorta like this. i had been looking for it on DVD and finally found it and upon watching it for the Nth time, I realized what I good plot for the boys this would make- with of course tweeking here and there._**

* * *

PAST TO FUTURE BORN 

1.

There is a click and then an image appears. A smiling face with wide lavender eyes framed by chestnut brown hair. It's the face of a young man who then leans back and sighs.

"It's two o'clock in the afternoon, my name is Duo Maxwell, and I am suppose the change the future. Some how.," the small laugh is uneasy and meant to cover the embarrassment. "I can see dead people. I know it sounds like that movie but when I see the 'dead' they don't look dead. They look like you or me or the guy next door. There aren't any wounds, they don't look white and pasty, they don't really look dead. I guess the only reason I know some of them are dead is only because they tell me. It's so weird. Ileah was the first one I ever saw. She's a sweet pretty blond girl who has a strange fascination with pink. I asked her about it and she only made a face and said that her mother liked it. I thought that was odd, but then she vanished and I got chills- - - then I think I fainted." Shrug.

"Any way she was the first, the one they elected to be their speaker. Why I don't know but that's what they all finally said once we met. When I asked Ileah about it she told me that I was born too soon. They hadn't expected me to come at the time I did. There are, maybe, fourteen in all. They died in various ways, but mostly murder. I was suppose to help them, they said. I was sixteen and had only gotten my driver's licence the day before. Sometimes I think my life sucks."

"Apparently my grandfather, Michael, had this gift. She called it 'the sight', a way of seeing between the light and shadows that only a chosen few can see. Apparently I'm one of them. It took me a while but I got the numbers down to three, I'm nineteen now." Laugh.

"But really only one is mine. Ileah and Brooks won't tell me how I'm suppose to solve their deaths and Sebastian won't leave me. He says that he's meant to stay until the end. That sounds kinda ominous, but he refuses to explain it to me. He's never really been very visible, it was like he didn't want me to really see him until he was ready. Now I know why. He wears a uniform, one that I've never seen before. I asked him about it, but he just tells me that it doesn't matter since they lost. I think it does matter but Brooks and Ileah just tell me to let it go." Sigh.

"Any way the reason I'm making this is because of what happened a few days ago. A new one showed up. This one was different. He was odd and I knew right away he was dead since I could see through him. It was so weird. Oddly enough Brooks knew him. Saluted him in fact. Ileah didn't like him and avoided him at all costs. When I asked about him she would get this odd enigmatic smile and just fade away. I hate it when they do that." Shiver and sigh. "He's not like the others. His uniform is similar to Sebastian's but there is a difference in color and piping and he has this air of command about him. Brooks even called him Commander. Whatever he is, he's got some kind of power. He even knew my name, though that's not really surprising, but what he said exactly was." Face change. "_Duo Maxwell! Where is your braid?!_ What kind of question is that? Usually it's something else, but before he could say anything else Brooks had Sebastian drag him off." Shrug. "Weird. I didn't see either one of them for a few days . Until yesterday."

He looks away and runs a hand through a shaggy mess of layered hair that falls around his face and down to his shoulders. He looks down at his lap and releases a heavy sigh.

"Anyway, why I made this thing because . . ." eyes cut to beyond the camera. "Well you see, this Commander- Treize- is from the future and he's not here because of the circumstances of his death. He's here because of the circumstances of my birth. In as much as I'm wrong. I was born too soon. He says he has a solution but it will require some stuff that I barely understood and quite frankly didn't want to." Shakes head and looks away before sighing with a nod.

"Any who, he tells me that since I'm wrong that it's got to be made right or the future is the burning deserted structure of my nightmares." Shiver and shakes head. "They've been getting worse and Ileah won't tell me why, neither will Sebastian. Treize, the ghost from the future, says that this has to be done now or things will not turn out right in his time. So I'm making this to be left for a Lady Une as he has instructed and she in turn will find the me there and see to it that we are re-joined." Shakes head again. "That sounds weird but it's what has to be done or the world will cease to be."

A bitter sweet smile forms. "I'm going to sleep and when I wake I'll be different but the same- or some shit like that. He says that I won't feel much and I'll have knowledge and memories of who I really am. The person I am in that time." Sighs and looks up. "God, that sounds so dogged up." Blows air into bangs. "Okay. The date is, oddly enough, October 31 2008. My name is Duo Maxwell and I'm about to go to sleep." There is another bitter sweet smile before the a two finger familiar salute is given. "I guess this is it. I'll catch you all on the flip side."

The screen fuzzed and then went black. Une clicked the machine off and sat back with a stunned expression. She would never I her life believed it if she hadn't seen it. Duo Maxwell without a braid, with knowing amethyst eyes, and a lack of L2 accent, speaking from the past on an antiquated disc that hadn't been produced for over a hundred years. It had arrived with a letter from Treize written a few months before his death and instructions on where to find the past-born Duo Maxwell.

"Oh, Mr. Treize what have you done." Taking several deep breaths, Une re-read the letter.

_My dearest Lady,_

_To my regret I will be dead when you read this._

_I wish that were not so but that is the way it must be._

_This war must end and my death is the only way for that to happen._

_I don't truly understand the whole of it, but on this date I received a message_

_from my ancestors telling me that I was the one to help save the future._

_Imagine my surprise when I viewed this vid to see a Duo Maxwell I'd never seen before._

_My instructions were simple. I was to pass this on to you upon my death._

_I was to make sure that the past-born was safe and make sure that the future-born lived._

_Imagine how I felt when I saw the 'other' Duo sleeping so peacefully. It was so normal._

_I locked the vault and insured that it would not be disturbed- ever and set upon my course._

_You will find the vault in my mountain ancestral home_. _I realize that this sounds vague,_

_but I didn't want any one finding it should this fall to some others hands._

_I have made arrangements should you not survive- though I have been told that you will-_

_with a letter intended for Zechs and then Noin. But I know that you will not let me down._

_The plan is simple._

_Bring the future-born to the vault. He must be in perfect health._

_Once the vault is open, begin the procedure of awakening and place_

_the future-born next to the past-born, and leave._

_Seal them in. The activation will begin when the vault is shut and_

_the joining process with complete itself. I'm relying on you, my dear Lady._

_Please see to it that the future I died for comes to pass._

_Yours,_

_Treize Kushrenada_

_Commander._

As head of the Preventers it was simple enough to retrieve Duo Maxwell. After the last war, he'd only lasted a few months on L2 before coming back to Earth and joining Wufei in the field. He'd proven to be the best demolitions expert around and his infiltration skills nearly rival those of Trowa Barton. He has been promoted twice since his joining and was training a few of our new recruits, though he prefers to remain in the field. Thus getting him to HQ, or even the mountain home for that matter, would not be hard. It would be keeping the others away until the process was complete.

"Beverly."

"Yes, Commander."

Une smiled at how easy it was for her to enjoy having a secretary. "Have Capt. Maxwell come to my office when he is free."

"Yes, Commander."

Beverly was very efficient and as soon as Duo had a free moment she would get him to her. With a nod, she used her personal line to have the hanger ready a shuttle for planetary travel. They could be air born within minutes of him reporting to her. Duplicity was so easy to fall back into to and Une was surprised to find her hands reaching for her glasses.

Duo bounded into the reception area and smiled at Beverly. The blonde was used to the affections layered onto her by the people who wanted to get to Commander Une through her. She knew her fine model looks let them come on to her without too much effort and had always thought them to be phoney no matter what, but the young warriors of Une's special forces were different. They were all perfect- handsome, beautiful, lithe- attributes she'd never thought she'd give to any male. Any of them made her heart jump in her chest and some, like Capt. Maxwell, could make her feel more.

"Hello, Captain Maxwell." Beverly smiled then nearly blushed when she realized how husky her voice sounded.

Duo returned her smile. "Hello, Pretty, is the Commander in."

Beverly shook her head and relegated her hormones back to neutral. The pet names changed every time he came up here and she knew he was just waiting for the one that felt right to him.

"She's the one who called you." She reminded him.

Duo ducked his head in fake embarrassment before giving her his patent smile. "Well yeah, but sometimes she forgets and then . . ."

Beverly shook her head again and checked the phones. "She wanted to see you as soon as you got here so you better get in there, studly, before she comes out to get you."

Duo jerked and cut his eyes at her. "Studly?"

Beverly laughed and shooed him away, pressing the contact to let Une know he was coming in.

Duo stepped into Une's office and found his Commander seated behind her desk packing up a case. She looked up when he walked in but did not stop her actions.

"Maxwell, come in. I have a mission for you."

Duo sighed softly and threw himself in the chair in front of Une's desk. Since he'd joined the organization he'd come to understand his hostility toward Une and had worked hard to rid himself of it. It had taken four months. In that time he'd ranted, raved, and threw things until finally she let him prank her. He'd been leery at first, especially since she'd called him into her office expressly to give him permission, and had spent the better part of a mission trying to reason it through. Finally Wufei had slapped him in the head and told him just to do it and get it over with. She'd looked so good with purple hair, which she'd kept for a month, that he felt relaxed around her now.

"What's up?"

Une smiled at him as she stood and gathered her loaded case. "You are to accompany me for a recovery operation."

Duo straightened as Une stood. "Sure. Where we going?"

Une thinned her lips before she stepped around her desk and ignored the question. "The shuttle is waiting for us."

Duo stood quickly and followed her out the door. When Une paused at Beverly's desk, he fought to keep his mouth from running off with curiosity.

"Deliver this to Chang when he stops by." She handed an envelope to her assistant before turning to Duo. "Let's go, Maxwell."

Duo shrugged and gave Beverly a last flirtatious wink before following the Commander to the elevator. Beverly looked at the plain envelope before setting it aside and watching the doors close on her boss.

It took only minutes for Duo and Une to get to the shuttle. It was sitting on the pad engines all ready running. He followed her from the car and into the shuttle with just a nod to the security force at the port. They were barely seated before the engines whined sharply and Une gave the nod to take off.

Duo waited as long as he could, trying to remain calm and silent as Une placed her case next to her. When she didn't speak or remove any papers for him to look at he shifted in his seat and tried to get comfortable.

Once they'd reached the required altitude a steward came by to ask if they would like a drink. Une ordered for both of them before Duo could speak. When he returned with their drinks, water for Duo- tea for Une, she turned to her attention to him.

"Would you go check with the pilot to see how long we have before we reach Brussels?"

Duo nodded. Once he was gone, Une sighed and closed her eyes. The letter was specific. Bracing herself she reached for Duo's water and slipped a capsule from her pocket. Breaking it quickly, she dropped the powder into the clear liquid and watched as it dissolved. Pushing the glass back into place she took a sip of tea as Duo returned.

"He said we'd arrive in about fifteen minutes." He reported to her. "Commander, may I ask what we're recovering?"

Une set her cup carefully onto it's saucer before looking over at him and decided to tell him part of what she knew.

"I received a parcel today from Commander Treize." When his eyes widened she knew she had his full attention. "There is a vault in his mountain home in Brussels that has certain things inside that need to be taken care of."

Duo frowned. For some reason she was being secretive about this whole thing and it was making the hair on the back of his neck tingle. That hadn't happened in years and longer than that in Une's presence.

Taking a gulp of his water, he spoke hesitantly, "Is it OZ stuff?"

Une jerked startled. She'd been so lost in her thoughts that she'd pushed his presence out of her mind. With a quick shake of her head, she answered his hesitant question and felt her stomach tighten as she watched him take another drink.

"Duo, you know that I think of you as one of my best agents." Une wanted to say what was in her heart before everything changed. "I think, no matter what anyone said, that you are highly intelligent and worthy of great admiration."

Duo frowned at her words. Why was she being so sincere and looking at him with regret. Then as she continued to speak, he felt the drug begin to take effect. Une's form began to weaver, twisting and turning on itself. He shook his head, trying to focus and jerked when her hand gripped his arm.

"I'm sorry." He heard her whisper. "But this is the best way for you. Commander Treize was specific about what was to be done. I hope you understand."

Duo jerked his arm free and stood from the seat. She'd drugged him. He'd learned to trust her and she'd drugged him. He tried to move to the cockpit, but the steward was there to hold him up. He weave and tried to pull free the drone of voices playing in his head; the words sounded almost of a different language. With an angry look at Une's worried face, he let the darkness take him down. Next time he'd shave her head.

Une held the tears back as she had the steward lay him in the seat and secure him. She thanked him with absentmindedness before sitting next to the unconscious boy and took his hand.

"I hope you'll be all right." She whispered. "And forgive me when this is all over with."

Wufei sighed and looked up at the clock of the office he shared with Duo Maxwell. He'd come in after lunch to find the American out but knew that he'd be back before quitting time. He'd gotten lost in his paperwork and only now thought to look at the time. To his surprise it was only fifteen minutes before they were allowed to leave and Duo wasn't bouncing around the room. He checked the e-mails before getting up and looking over his partner's desk to see if there was a note. There was no alert that he'd been sent on a mission nor was there a note telling him he'd left early.

Frowning Wufei quickly straightened his desk and headed up a floor to the Commander's office. She would know where the braided baka was if no one else did.

Beverly looked and smiled as Wufei stepped out of the elevator. Like Captain Maxwell, Lt. Chang was some very nice eye candy. However unlike Duo Maxwell, he didn't even pretend to flirt or joke. He was a strict no-nonsense agent who's words seemed to be limited to the job. She'd never heard him say anything flirtatious or joking unless it was to Capt. Maxwell.

Wufei saw the woman who served as Une's assistant and hide the cringe. Duo always kept her busy so that he wouldn't have to acknowledge the onna or listen to her.

"Is the Commander in?" he spoke quickly in the hopes that he could get this over with without her fawning over him as she seemed to.

Beverly smiled and fought to keep her drooling to a minimum as she looked him over. His tightly pulled ponytail made all the women want to loosen him up and his deep voice was the nightly fantasy of many of her dreams.

"She's out. Left after lunch with Capt. Maxwell." She purred and saw his shoulders tighten. "She left this for you."

She handed him the envelope Une had left and licked her lips as he took it with a nod. When he simply turned and headed back toward the elevator she licked her lips and sighed. It was so unfair that they were all so yummy.

Wufei was glad when the doors closed blocking _that Onna's_ eyes. He kept his automatic reaction hidden and looked at the blank envelope left to him. If it weren't for the fact that she was the best assistant Une ever had, he'd have said something about her along time ago. Once in his office he ripped open the envelope and removed the note.

"What!?" Wufei grabbed his cell as he ran out of the office. "Heero! Meet me at the shuttle port immediately and being the others!"

He didn't wait for Heero's answer as he raced to his car and tore out of the parking garage.

Une wheeled Duo's unconscious form into the mansion and dismissed the pilot and steward. She gave them meaningless words before ordering them to leave and setting her case on the table. It had been so long since she'd been here and could feel the ghosts fly along with the dust motes. She'd only been in this house once and that was upon Treize's arrest. She shuddered to think how long ago that was.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she left Duo in the foyer and made a quick search of the place before fining the office. There, behind the large mahogany desk, was the large portrait of General Sebastian Kushrenada. He had been the leader of one of the last world wars and instrumental in getting the colony project started. It was here that the vault was hidden.

With a sigh, she stepped forward and pressed her hand to the raised gold medallion at the portrait. There was a hiss, a click, and then the painting slowly swung out to reveal a heavily re-enforced gundanium door. She stroked the cold metal and knew that it had been put into place after Treize had made sure the contents were safe.

Returning to the foyer, she took a stilling breath and grabbed the handles of the wheel chair to take Duo to the study. Once inside she reached into her pocket and removed a small piece of paper with the pass code on it. The key pad was not the only lock mechanism but it was the first and with quick fingers she typed in the code.

_D10312008 A195C 1800418M_

There was an accepting beep and the panel opened to reveal another more complex mechanism. She placed her eyes to the small opal and waited for it to scan her retina before placing her finger to another port. There was a soft beep to let her know the scan was complete and a sudden pain let her know the DNA sample had been taken. In a few seconds the lights flashed and another lock was released. Two more keypads and one more DNA scan lead to the final lock, that one would require nothing from Une.

With a sigh, she turned and pulled Duo over to the final panel. It looked like a simple hand scanner but this one was the most sophisticated of them all. It would scan the palm, extracting each and every little line to verify before checking DNA, RNA, and some other biological that had been deemed un-needed in this time. Once that was done it would seek a heat signature before it even began to ask for the code letters and numbers that would allow the lock to open.

Placing Duo's hand on the panel she held it tightly as it went about verifying who he was. The only way she knew it was working was a quick scanning light and a grunt when the samples were taken before a large light shot out and encompassed the drugged pilot. Seconds ticked by and Une felt sweat bead on her upper lip before there was a grunting sound and a simple keypad opened up.

'_Please input sequence. You have thirty seconds to complete. You have three tries before the lock is sealed and clocked for ten years.' _The computerized voice startled her and made her mess up the first try. Taking a steady breath she watched the numbers re-set and allow her another thirty seconds, this time she punched in the long series and stepped back.

Lady Une gasped as a hologram emerged from the dark opening. It was Treize in full uniform looking as handsome as ever.

"Hello, Lady." He smiled as he stood there guarding the entrance to the lab his ancestor had build hundreds of years ago. "I'm glad that you survived. I'm also glad that you found him. I know how hard it must have been to fight against him and keep him alive as I requested. It made no sense to you I'm sure, but now it does. I found it strange that this one boy would be the keeper of the future." The imaged shimmered for a second and then seemed to reset itself. "Inside there are two cylinders. One you will find occupied with the past-born; the other is open and waiting for the future-born. Place this one into the empty, press the blinking amber light, the leave. The machine will join the two halves and re-open when it is complete."

Une nodded as the image blinked out and turned to get Duo. Inside the chamber was dim, the light casting an eerie blue hue over the metallic surfaces. Inside one clear glass chamber lay the body of one Duo Maxwell, with short hair and wearing a t-shirt and shorts. Une glanced at him amazed at how much they shared in looks, then shook herself.

Lifting Duo was no easy task, he was dead weight and the chamber was higher than a bed. With several grunts she managed to get him inside and laid out flat. She arranged him just as the other lay so that they looked like twins before searching out the amber she was to push. With one last touch, brushing her Duo's bangs aside, she pressed the button and sealed the chamber. There was a warning sound and she slipped out of the chamber as the door was sealed again.

There would be no opening it from this side.

It seemed like the day should be done but it had only been three hours since Une had started down this path and only half that since she'd placed Duo Maxwell inside the vault. She figured it wouldn't be long now before the rest of the pilots showed up wanting answers.

No sooner had that thought entered her mind than she felt the hard muzzle of a gun pressed against the back of her head.

"We trusted you." the hard words were spoken from Heero so she knew who held the gun.

"Commander." Wufei came around to be seen, his arms folded over his chest, his uniform wrinkled from travel. "Where is Duo?"

Une sighed. There was no point in giving them any explanation; they wouldn't understand, so she merely handed him the disc.

"What is this?" Quatre asked, taking the disc from Wufei's lax hand.

"It's the answer." She stated.

Wufei nodded and Une felt the gun withdrawn as the group moved to the desk behind her. It was set up to play the disc, Treize had let her know that if she couldn't find any other way to play it. She listened to it load and heard the gasps as Duo-the-past-born appeared on the screen before tuning out the rest.

The other pilots stared transfixed as the 'video' played. They couldn't take their eyes off the short-haired Duo as he spoke to them. When it was over with there was nothing but silence. Une just waited and eventually the boys joined her- two each on the settees next to her.

"Where?" Quarte's softly spoken word broke the tense silence.

Une sighed and looked over at each of them. While they were not pointing guns or cursing her with angry eyes, they did seem leery of her. She understood, she'd fought long and hard go gain their trust and with this one move she'd made them question it.

She nodded to the portrait which had closed itself. "He's in the vault."

Heero and Wufei jerked both wanting get up and rip the portrait off the wall, tearing into the vault with their bare hands.

"Why?" Quatre was their speaker. His voice was subdued in comparison to how he usually spoke. It was very telling of his emotional state.

Une sighed. "I don't know." she said honestly. "I received that message from Mr. Treize and after seeing the video I couldn't **not** follow his wishes. Somehow it just seemed to make sense."

Wufei snorted and stood with an angry jerk. "Onna," he cursed.

Une smiled softly knowing that it was his way of dealing with the situation.

"What's happening in there?" Heero growled, hard blue eyes cutting into the wall where the vault lay.

Une looked at the grandfather clock as it ticked the minutes away. There had been no mention of how long it would take, in fact Treize had said that he didn't understand the process enough to explain it properly.

"If Duo was born before the colonies, then how is it . . ."

"That wasn't Maxwell!" Wufei shouted almost turning on Quatre in his anger.

Quatre, and by default Trowa, glared at him for being so snappy. "I know that, Wufei, I'm just trying to understand what's happening."

Wufei snorted and turned away, again facing the window and the garden beyond. Quatre ignored him and looked at Lady Une.

Une met his eyes honestly, she had nothing to hide. "You saw the video. The only other information I received was a letter of instruction and the codes to the vault."

That made Heero stand up and turn on her demanding that she open the vault.

"I cannot open it!" Une shouted back over both his anger and Wufei's standing to face them. "Even if I could start the procedure it's useless. There is an electronic lock that requires Duo's DNA to open!"

"We can find samples!" Wufei argued as Heero began to pace the room.

"Lady, how long will the vault remain sealed?" Trowa asked in a more reasonable voice.

Une sighed and sat back down. "I don't know." She was resigned to the fact that they would never forgive her for this no matter what the happened. "Treize didn't understand the process enough to explain it. His ancestor, Sebastian had the vault built before he five years before he died."

Quatre frowned and jumped up off the settee. His eyes scanned the portrait finally finding the dates he sought.

"He died in 2001!" he shouted and looked at Lady Une.

She shook her head. "I don't understand how any of this to work out."

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you locked him in there for who knows what!" Wufei shouted drowning out any other sounds in the room.

Trowa sighed as Heero and Wufei ganged up on Une, shouting and cursing as they all stood facing each other. He got up and went over to Quatre.

"What are you thinking, little one?"

Quatre stared up at the portrait, ignoring the shouting going on behind him. "The Duo on that vid spoke of a Sebastian as one of the 'ghosts' who vowed not to leave him." He sighed and wrapped his arms around his middle. "Duo always spoke of his 'ghosts' as being a part of him."

Trowa placed a hand on his friend's shoulder to try to comfort him. "He does call himself Shinigami."

Quatre turned and sighed sadly, "what if this changes him? What if he's not . . ."

A low hum began to build in the room until finally it made everyone fall silent. Quatre and Trowa moved away from the wall and joined others in the room's center. Everyone was staring at the portrait when the image of Treize returned.

"The process is complete." He spoke so solemnly that it was startling. "The past-born and the future-born are now one. The present is the ground on which the now will stand."

No one moved as the portrait swung open and the large metal door behind it hissed with a pressure release. They all watched as it slowly swung open on silent hinges revealing a dim room beyond. Before any of them could move toward the room Duo Maxwell appeared and took another few steps into the room, stopping just behind the desk.

The others were quick to take in any changes in him. His eyes were down cast so they could not see them clearly, hidden behind feathered bangs and layered sides. It was down, it was long but only to his hips and not his thighs, his clothing consisted of his uniform pants but he wore an old t-shirt without the jacket, and his feet were bare. He hadn't lost height but seemed to stand a little taller, straighter, his shoulders a little wider.

"Duo?" Quatre spoke quietly, taking a tentative step toward his friend. His empathy was telling him his friend was still there but that there was more.

Duo didn't move, didn't speak, and didn't really acknowledge them in anyway but did tilt his head as if listening.

"Are you all right?" Quatre kept his voice quiet as he approached his friend, not wanting to scare him after all he'd been through.

Duo raised his head and locked eyes with Une. "Thank you."

His voice hadn't changed nor had his eyes- still the same luminescent violet they'd always been.

"Are you all right?" she asked, trying to calm her fast beating heart.

The others remained unconvinced until he smiled. Slightly cocky, slightly cunning, with a hint of innocence that only Duo Maxwell could pull off and cut the tension in the bodies of the others.

"Maxwell?" Wufei snorted but still remained unmoving.

"I'm good, Wu-man." He grinned, cocked his hip, and met each of his friend's gaze. "But I sure could use some dinner and coffee.

* * *

WHAT HAPPENED WITHIN: 

2.

It felt odd. He'd known, somehow, that waking up would not be like 'just getting out of bed'. First, he checked his body without moving. Old habits from the war kicked in so he could check for injuries without letting it known that he was conscious. Once that was done he opened his eyes to stare up at a metallic ceiling colored in dim blue. His ears filled with a dying hum that only machinery can make, letting him know that things were powering down.

Assured that he was alone, he took a deep breath and filled his lungs with fresh air. Flexing his hands, he stretched the muscles in his arms and legs before sitting up and throwing his legs over the side. Across from him sat an empty chamber identical to his own and something told him that once upon a time he had also lain there.

There was no clash of past and present, no merging of the two different Him's, instead there was just him. Just Duo. Duo who watched Solo die and knew that Sebastian Kushrenada had saved his life at the cost of his own. Duo who had been the sole survivor of the Maxwell Church and had vague recollection of a smiling woman who was his mother. Duo who had piloted Deathscythe and had been on the high road to a Computer Degree. Oddly enough instead of over whelming him it made him feel complete. What was lacking in the one had been filled by the other.

"Duo?"

Duo turned and looked around. "Who?"

There was a simmer in a corner of the room as Sebastian made himself known. "I see that you are finally complete."

Duo smiled at his long time ghostly friend, before noticing another standing near him. "Solo!?"

The seeming younger version of Sebastian solidified and smiled. "Hey kid."

"What's going on?" Duo asked but the answer appeared as a bright light filled a darkened corner of the vault, a doorway appearing.

"It's time for me to leave." Sebastian stated. "My job is complete."

"But you said you'd be with me to the end." Duo was confused as his old friend moved toward the doorway that signaled his entrance to the after life. "What about Brooks or Ileah? Solo?"

Sebastian stopped at the door's threshold and smiled. "Solo is staying with you, as he promised. Brooks went on about forty years ago having justified his own death and Ileah vanished the night you went to sleep. I'd like to think she, too, was allowed to go home."

Duo ducked his head trying to think as Sebastian waited patiently. He knew the conflict that was happening in the boy and felt bad for leaving him, but he'd discussed this life with Solo and knew that this Duo was much stronger than the other.

"Duo." he waited until he had the boy's attention before continuing. "You are much stronger here than you ever were there. There is no mission course for you to follow, just do what you have always done."

"What about saving the future?"

Solo frowned as Sebastian graced them both with a patient smile. "It's all ready done." Turning to the doorway again, he sighed, "I will miss our talks though." Giving the younger men/boys a final look. "Make me proud, boys."

Sebastian blinked against the brightness of the open door as he entered the stairway to his final destination. There was a heralding sound as he began his ascent and he felt his own burdens lighten. It would be good to finally rest.

Duo blinked against the bright light before it faded and the darken corner returned to normal.

"Don be so sad, kid." Solo smiled. "I's no so bad ta be rond."

Duo laughed at his childhood friend. "Is no like I foggy ya."

Solo laughed heartily at the return of the L2 accent. "Ya nottin."

Duo laughed with him before calming himself and looking at the sealed vault door.

"They out there." Solo said clearly. "I be rond, kid."

Duo nodded absently, not seeing his friend fade as he took several deep breaths wondering how the other pilots were doing. It'd been a long time since he'd seen more than just his partner, Wufei. Quatre, he knew would be all 'mother-hen' on him; while Heero would probably be silently fuming and Trowa would be stoic.

With a sigh, Duo raked a hand through his hair and frowned when he saw that it was loose and cut in layers on top.

"Well, at least it wasn't a mullet." Duo smirked while he punched in the code to unsealed the vault.

The mechanisms turned, spun, and pulled apart; the hiss releasing the air tight seal. He only had a few seconds before the whole thing opened and he would have to face his friends and Une. He went to straighten his jacket and noticed his clothing for the first time. His uniform pants were still on -Thank God- but his uniform jacket and top had been replaced by a t-shirt with the words: '_Don't make me get my flying monkeys'_ and his shoes were gone.

Before he could ponder much more but the door swung open then and he stepped out. It was show time. He wiped the smirk off just as he stepped into the light so the others could clearly see him.

"Duo?" Quatre's voice was quiet which meant he'd all ready fallen into 'protection' mode and for the first time in his life he could feel the empathy touch him.

Duo decided not to move, or speak, and or really acknowledge them in anyway but did tilt his head to indicate he was listening. He wanted to know the feel of the room before he added anything.

"Are you all right?" Quatre kept his voice quiet and he heard him take a few steps forward.

Duo raised his head and locked eyes with Une. He could see that she was stressed, her expression tight. The others had probably taken out their frustration and anger out on her the second they had gotten here.

"Thank you." He kept his voice soft and eyed his friends/family wearily unsure of how they were reacting to the whole situation.

"Are you all right?" she asked, trying to calm her fast beating heart.

The others remained unconvinced until so he smiled. Slightly cocky, slightly cunning, with a hint of innocence that was his signature and felt the tension loose in the bodies of the others.

"Maxwell?" Wufei snorted but still remained unmoving.

"I'm good, Wu-man." He grinned, cocked his hip, and met each of his friend's gaze. "But I sure could use some dinner and a coffee."

* * *

_Yes I just found that horizonal line thingy. humph go figure. Any way this is where the great muse gerbil finally let me cease. It's not to say that more will not be forth coming but as it stands now I am free to finish my other stories in peace. (do you know how annoying a gerbil can be when it's running backwards on a wheel?) Enjoy it folks and let me know what you think. _

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

_Ok so I'm sorta writing again. It's been a long time since I put word to computer and a lot of things have gone on none of which has been good. So if this story gets too dark or too stupid just put it down to that. I'll add when the mood screams for me to and we'll see where this goes._

* * *

**COMPLACENT**

3.

When it's all said and done nothing ever completely changes and nothing ever completely remains the same. It's both heartening and disheartening at the same time and more and more difficult to explain. It had taken six months for them to realize that the 'old Duo' and the 'new Duo' were the same.

Well, not really the same- the hair which had fallen to his thighs when braided now only reached his waist; the bangs that had covered his face to his nose were now feathered and layered revealing more than hiding; and the color while still an amalgam of brown, gold, red, and black was still the same while there was an added depth and thickness that hadn't been before. And to his chagrin he'd found that it was now naturally curly, which meant that in the damp it curled- - - everywhere! He feared that in the right humidity he'd look like an electrocuted poodle.

His eyes were still that odd shade of purple/amethyst/lavender; only now there was a light within them that shown all the time. It was, of course, with these eyes that he saw all the others- the 'dead' as he was want to call them. They were, unfortunately, everywhere but few of them were looking for the way 'home'. Solo finally told him that not all wanted to leave, in fact most were like him and were watching over someone they cared about. With the war those were more and more, while the others were fewer and fewer making Duo happy with that.

He had to laugh when he thought about his height. Before he had stood head to head with Quatre, now he was four inches taller which made the blond the shortest of them. Wufei had laughed when they'd found that out and Trowa had stood next to his love giving him a comfortable hug until Heero had patted him on the head. He still smiled at the memory of 'the Perfect Soldier' being chased by their 'Space Heart' until they were all laughing and teasing each other.

Sally Po had run him through every test she could think of and then some she made up just for him. He'd gone with the other pilots to the range for shooting practice, surprising them by hitting his target while shifting his gun between hands. While he'd learned to shoot ambidextrously it had never felt as natural as it did now. After seventeen targets Heero had grunted and Wufei had announced they were going to the course.

Now that had been three hours of hell. They had each wanted to test against him individually before going through the course as a team. While Heero and Trowa had beaten him hands down, he'd tied with Wufei and bested Quatre- but only by a foot. They would have kept going if Sally hadn't stopped them. Une had ordered them all to take two weeks off and for Duo not to return until Sally cleared him.

With that order Heero had decided that they had all been apart too long and Quatre, being Quatre, decided that it meant they should all live together. Duo took it all in stride and packed up his -only on the weekend- type apartment and moved in with the others into Quatre's townhouse/mansion. He and Trowa had all ready been living there and there were enough rooms for all the rest so it took nothing for him to talk them all into it. Especially since they would all pay some rent (25 to settle an arugment) and had their own private entrances, but would spend time together in the dining and kitchen areas.

It would give them space but allow them ALL to keep and eye on Duo. Duo just took in stride and kept the others from worrying about all the changes he was dealing with.

So no one really paid much attention when Duo rose from his desk, but Quatre did notice how he was moving across the room. He watched him, thinking he was going for a soda or coffee and was about to dismiss it when something tugged at his heart.

He tried to get back to work but couldn't. The 'something' was making him very nervous and when Duo didn't come back within minutes, he knew he had to follow. Moving slowly so as not to alert the others, he shut down his lap top and moved across the room, following Duo's path. He wasn't really surprised when it lead him up to the roof.

Duo's choice of refuges was always unique. In most of the safe houses they had to stay in during the war, he would find the smallest, highest, or darkest niche to claim as a 'thinking' place. Wufei had made fun of the term telling the braided boy that he had so little to think with why would he need a place, which in turn made Duo prove to him how smart he was by pulling some prank, which would evolve into a game of 'killer tag' as Duo dubbed it.

Quatre sighed as he slowly walked up the stairs. Sometimes it was hard being the 'grown-up' of the group. Not the Trowa or Heero caused nearly the same amount of trouble but they too needed guidance at times.

He paused at the top of the stairs when he heard Duo speaking through the metal door. It wasn't unusual for him to be loud, but it was for him to have someone on the roof with him. "None have tried to contact me since. . . well since I . . ."

Quatre paused at the roof door_, _unsure if he should barge in when he heard Duo's voice raise.

"What?! Look you tell them I don't want them spying on me!"

Pushing open the door, he expected to find his friend with someone not yelling at open space. He made a quick sweep of the area and of Duo to check for tech before speaking himself.

"Duo?" He was a little unsure of what was going on and almost afraid of the answer.

When Duo froze Quatre frowned, worried. He looked around slowly before taking steps toward his friend. "Who were you talking to?"

When Duo didn't answer immediately Quatre reached out with his 'space' heart and felt a bit of a chill. He was about to search when Duo smiled and bounced toward him.

"No one. Just myself. I was just getting into character. I have to question one of my contacts later today."

Quatre wanted to say something, but stopped. He knew that Duo was distracting him from whatever was really going on and let the braided boy turn him back to the door. He'd find out what was going on tonight when they were all home. Duo couldn't distract them all.

When the day ended Quatre wasn't surprised that Duo had all ready left without any of them seeing him go. He'd spent the rest of the afternoon trying to figure out whether or not he believed Duo about the incident on the roof. His heart told him one thing while his mind kept arguing another. So when they had all gathered to leave and Duo was not among them, he calmed the others by saying that Duo had spoken with him earlier. It was only after dinner had passed and Duo still hadn't come home did he begin to worry about his friend.

* * *

**WHEN WE'RE CALLED**

4.

It had been a year since my 'mergence'- at least that's what Sally finally dubbed it. I didn't know what to call it, all I knew was that I spent the first month trying to get all the memories in my head straight. It's really weird to have two sets of memories swirling around in your brain, but at the end of that moth it was like something just clicked and I became normal gain. Well normal for me anyway.

It was another month before Une let me come back to work and then only on a limited 'Heero-watch-over-him' basis. That meant I sat at my desk and doodled- a lot. By the end of that month I was a damned good artist even if I do say so myself. I could make a rendering of Wufei, sword in hand, in under a minute and drop it on his desk with just enough momentum to be in a dead run before my name even touched his lips.

Anyway in all that time there had been no signs of that 'sighted' thing. No ghosts fading from the walls, no wraiths screaming my name, no 'dead' people seeking my aid. Nothing. Solo didn't count since he'd been around me since his death so as far as I was concerned the 'sighted' thing was gone. Faded from my mind with the memories I couldn't comprehend or rectify with my own more present memories. So I sorts relaxed.

Big mistake that.

One year and there she was. I say that like I know who she is, which I didn't, but I do know what she is. At first I wasn't sure. I just looked up from my desk to see her standing there, pale yellow sun-dress, curly auburn hair, and bright green eyes- starring at me. I shrugged it off thinking she was there to make a report. I ignored the strange tingle along the back of my neck and went back to my paperwork.

When I looked up again, an hour later, she was still. Same place, same clothes, same expression, same stare. I looked around to see if anyone had noticed her, when no seemed to I just sat and watched her for a few minutes. People were walking passed her as if she wasn't there. That's when it hit me- to them she wasn't there.

With a heavy sigh, I laid down the file I was working on and rose slowly from my desk. I didn't walk directly toward her, that would have alerted the guys that something was up and that would have been bad. So instead I skirted several desks and made a motion for her to follow me, which she did.

Now I haven't dealt with any of 'them' since I'd become one and I had forgotten how 'normal' they tend to look. They even sound normal, which can really freak a person out. I mean even Treize looked fine and he'd been spaced.

The roof had long been my refuge and it was the one place where the guys rarely bothered me so I knew we wouldn't be interrupted. I stopped and looked at her. I mean really looked at her. She had no shoes. Oddly that was the first thing that struck me and thus the first thing out of my mouth.

"Where are your shoes?"

She smiled at me and looked around studying the area. With a laugh she threw back her head and twirled -_yes twirled_ - around the roof a few feet before stopping and gifting me with the biggest smile I'd ever seen. It was like watching a child, only with boobs.

"They don't bury you with shoes, silly." she giggled. Her voice was soft with a lilt, maybe Celtic or Scottish. "Besides I wasn't wearing them when I died. You know that you always wear what you die in."

I frowned as that information tickled something in my past-born memory. Shaking my head, I let the whispered words settle before asking the next question. "Ok, why are you here?"

"You really should ask for names first." The lilting voice scolded mildly with a smile. "I'm Ailynda Parker."

I scowled, I couldn't help it. 'Not my mother,' was the first thing that popped into my head, before I could stop that past-born reaction.

"You are not what I expected." Ailynda laughed. "I've been watching you for a while."

Scowl to frown in point five seconds. _Go me. _"Watching me?"

Ailynda nodded and danced around a little more. I waited patiently for her to stop before cocking an eyebrow in my best Heero impersonation.

"You are not such a stick when you're with your friends." Ailynda admonished gently. "All right. Down to business."

I had to sigh as I sat back against the ledge and waited with folded arms for her to settle.

Ailynda took the same stance only with a little pout, but couldn't hold it for long before she burst out laughing. "You're not always this serious are you?" I didn't answer, she giggled again. "I am here as a liaison."

"Liaison? For what?" I was confused. What did I need a liaison for?

Ailynda gave me, what I could only call, 'Sister's patience look. I hated that look.

"I will be the one to speak to you on behalf of the others." she spoke patiently. Before I could get snappy, she raised a hand to continue. "There are several who seek to speak with you but we all know how overwhelming it can be."

"How many?" I truly dreaded the answer to that question but knew I'd need to have some kind of idea of the numbers. "None have tried to contact me since. . . well since I . . ."

"Became one?" She offered but I didn't really need the help. "I know. They all decided to wait for you to adjust. Although a few did try to bust in on you while you were recovering. That didn't go over very well."

"What?!" I had vague images of shadows in my bedroom at the mansion but nothing as solid as her. "Look you tell them I don't want them spying on me!"

"Duo?"

I jerked at the sound of Quatre's voice and froze in place. Closing my eyes I really willed that he wasn't there before turning to see his concerned face.

With my patent smile, I hoped he wouldn't ask. "Hey Q-man, what's up?"

Quatre frowned as he came toward me, I could tell he was worried. "Who were you talking to?"

"Busted." Ailynda sang as she danced around one of my best friends. It was all I could do not to react.

Pasting a smile on my face, I tried to come up with a plan. "No one. Just myself." I nodded, I could always think fast on my feet. "I was just getting into character. I have to question one of my contacts later today."

I knew he wanted to believe me but really didn't, but was going to let it slide. So in the interest of taking his mind off of it and getting him away from Ailynda, I threw my arm around his shoulders and headed back to the door.

"I have to be meet a contact later so I just wanted to get in the right frame of mind." I looked back at Ailynda, who gave me a cheery thumbs up, before getting us off the roof.

* * *

I had felt bad about sneaking out of the office without telling the guys anything, but Quatre showing up on the roof had thrown me. I wasn't sure what was going on and now I wasn't even sure how to tell them what was going on. Could Q sense Ailynda? Would he feel the emotions of all the 'ghosts' that might suddenly be around me? Maybe I should. . . I was getting so ahead of myself I was making myself nervous; not a good thing for me when I'm standing in the middle of a ever darkening park. I might suddenly get trigger touchy and blow away a squirrel or something.

"You have some of the oddest notions I've ever heard." Ailynda's soft voice made me whirl around with a drawn gun making her giggle. "Killing a squirrel?"

I scowled at her, trying out my Heero impersonation (of which I suck at) and put my gun away. "Don't sneak up on me. If I pull the gun on you and someone else sees then I'll get into trouble. So DON'T SNEAK UP ON ME!"

Ailynda tried to look contrite but let me tell you- she failed miserably. Then she laughed. Women.

I waited for her to stop. Not patient am I? She laughed for a good five minutes then she motioned for me to follow her into an area that was used as an open air amphitheater. It was nice and used often in the warm weather of Sanq.

"Come up on stage." She beckoned and like an idiot, I followed.

When will I learn? Never follow someone into something that you haven't clue one as to what could happen. Because when I turned to face the actual seating part of the theater there were a LOT of people out there. I mean A LOT. And as I scanned the faces, in amazement, I noticed most were children.

My heart froze as I looked at their faces. Sad, young, and worn. Oh God it was like looking into the faces of mine own.

"They aren't victims of the war." Ailynda said softly, her voice carrying through the large area of the stage. "They are victims of something more sinister."

I started to shake. "No."

I could feel the cold and anger sweeping over me like waves and I had to turn away.

"Duo?" Ailynda sounded worried, as well she should have been.

Me and kids- well lets just say that to hurt a child in my sight is to meet Shinigami at his worst. There is no mercy when the blood of one so innocent is shed and none is shown when I reap that soul. Hell would be better for them than to face me and there is no stopping me. None. The guys can tell you. They saw it for themselves- only once, but that was enough.

"Please." The soft voice broke the shell I had built and I looked down to see a small girl at my knees.

I found myself kneeling before her and hoping that what she told me did not wake the demon just waiting inside me. "What's your name?" I asked, trying desperately to hold Shinigami at bay.

"May." She smiled so innocently, her blue eyes shining as she brushed wild brown hair away from her face. "I like your braid."

Her words served to quell the blood lust and I looked at Ailynda. "The others left."

"What? Why?" I stood and turned to see the once full theater, empty.

"You scared them a little. You're not like they others they've heard of." she explained as May took her hand. "You have something dark that walks with you."

"Shinigami." I murmured, my hands finding my pockets as I looked at my feet. Sometimes it did not pay to show the God of Death.

"I like it." May smiled. "It makes you stronger than the other one."

Frowning, I looked at her. "What other one?"

May looked down then up at Ailynda who nodded for her to tell. "The one who took me and the others. He was dark but not as strong as you."

That got my attention. "Where were you when the other came for you?"

May sighed. "I was asleep."

I looked at Ailynda to see if she could offer any more information but she shook her head sadly and gave May's hand a squeeze.

Kneeling back down in front of the small girl I looked at her, really looked at her. She was in a nightgown, pink with a kitten on front, she wore no shoes, and her hair was clean but matted from sleep. Her accent wasn't Sanq nor was she colony and she was quite well spoken for a child of maybe six.

"What's your full name May?" I asked knowing that it was the easiest way to get information on her.

May smiled, beaming, as she announced her name loud and proud, "Elizabeth May Quintan. I'm five and a half and I have an older brother named Peter."

"Where do you live?" Preventer training kicking in automatically as I looked for more clues.

"In a house on Riverton Street." she answered before rubbing her eyes and looking at Ailynda. "I'm tired, can go now?"

"Sure sweetie." Ailynda smiled, releasing her hand.

"Bye Mr. Duo." May smiled as she ran toward the back of the stage, fading from sight.

I stood slowly and pinned my 'liaison' with a hard stare. "Tell me."


	3. Chapter 3

_Well the flow has stemed for now. Maybe this is my 'interview with Vampire' type thing. Who knows. I was given one of my best reviews ever on this story and I am too tired to truly appreciate it. Thank you Hikishi I hope it lives up to the words. Well this is it until the next big light bulb and I hope the plot comes as easily as this has._

* * *

**DISCOVERIES**

5.

Duo hadn't come home that night and Heero had finally cornered Quatre about what he knew. None of them were happy when he told them about finding Duo on the roof talking to himself. Nor was Wufei happy when Quatre confessed to 'feeling' a presence when he'd stood near the braided boy. It made them all uneasy to realize that there were changes to their friend and brother that they could never comprehend. It was just something else to be angry at Une for.

They were relieved when they walked into the office and saw their brother at his desk working on something that had his full concentration. He looked tired and his uniform was wrinkled. He'd obviously been there all night if not most of it.

"Duo?" Quatre approached him cautiously and kept his voice soft. "You didn't come home last night."

Duo didn't even look up as he answered. "I know. I got a big lead and had to come in to do some background on it." He motioned almost absently toward the papers that littered the table near him. "I need you guys to look over those and tell me what you think."

Quatre frowned, worried as Duo didn't even pause in his typing.

Heero picked up one stack and handed another to Wufei, both sat to read in silence. Quatre tried to still his need to check Duo over, but the anger coming from his other two friends made him gather his own set of papers.

"Duo, where did this come from?" Trowa hadn't bothered with trying to figure out what his friend was working on and took up a part of the papers that he'd surrounded himself with.

Duo sighed and leaned back, wiping a hand over his face. "Last night. . . " he started then stopped as he looked up and seemed to focus on the other side of the room for a second. "My contact told me about it."

Quatre absently rubbed his chest as he read the missing person's report in his hands. There was a sadness underlying the anger that came off his friends, but he couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from.

"We're going to need a bigger room." was Heero's only comment as he breezed through two more reports. "What is the latest count?"

Duo sighed and closed his eyes. "Twelve, all under the age of ten."

Trowa grunted and Wufei fumed.

"The pattern is night time abductions with the child missing for three to five days before the body is found in a public area." Heero read the report slowly before pulling more papers from the stack. "A pattern that the locals can't seem to follow."

Duo sighed tiredly. "It's because it happens in so many different jurisdictions and never in the same one twice."

"Have you taken this to Une yet?" Quatre asked as he carefully began to gathered the documents so that none were lost when they moved to the conference room. "She should know about this before we begin our search."

"I sent her an e-mail and scheduled a meeting at her convenience." Duo rubbed his face again and sighed tiredly. "She sent word that she'd be with us at ten."

Heero nodded as he helped Quatre gather up the stacks. Wufei scowled as he looked over at their tired comrade.

"How long have you been up, Maxwell?" Wufei had to ask after Duo's third yawn and stretch.

"What day is it?" Duo moaned.

"All night, I'd bet." Trowa added in as he shuffled through the few pages he still had. "Better get him some coffee."

Wufei nodded and grabbed Duo's arm. "Come on, Maxwell, we'll get some caffeine in you and you'll feel better."

Duo nodded and let Wufei lead him to the cafeteria and coffee.

* * *

Une walked into the second floor conference room with only mild apprehension. She had tried to calm her fears after the incident. It had been a year now, but the others -Duo not included- were still leery of her and she knew it would take more time for them to fully trust her again. Unconsciously touching her hair to see if it was straight, she opened the door and stepped into the room.

The walls were covered. Divided into sections, pictures and reports were pinned into each section along with jurisdictional numbers of the case. On the table lay out a map of the area with small dots- red for the sight of the body, blue for the home of origin. They covered what would have been three states if the old America was still in existence and covered twice as many police districts.

"What's the count?"

"Shhh." Quatre hushed at her then pointed toward the back of the room where Duo lay on the floor, head pillowed on a couch cushion and covered with a blanket from the infirmary. "He was up all night gathering all of this."

Une nodded and began to pace around the room. Twelve children, all young and innocent, taken from their homes in the dark of night, and then killed. Bodies left like trash in the open of parks, courtyards, roadsides, and playgrounds. This was unacceptable and made her wonder why no one had seen this as a serial before now.

"What do we know?" she asked as she came to the last, a child six years old named May.

Heero walked in as she asked and answered her in his usual monotone gruffness. "The local authorities are more than willing to let us handle it."

"The weaklings can't get their acts together enough to make sure all the cases are investigated thoroughly." Wufei sneered as he followed Heero inside. "They claim to be over-worked and unable to coordinate their information to form any kind of task force."

"The parents have been questioned, but the officers in charge are more than willing to suspect one of them as to not." Trowa told her as he divided up the reports Heero handed him. "They would rather think that this is all isolated instead of widespread."

Une nodded and sighed heavily. "Take it off their hands." she ordered. "They obviously don't know what they're dealing with and get Maxwell into a bed before he cramps up."

"Yes, Commander." Quatre nodded.

Une left them, her best, to their self-appointed task. She knew better than to try to stop them. If she hadn't given them the go-ahead they would have gone on their own. At least with her backing the full force of the Preventer's resources would be behind them.

* * *

**SEARCHES**

6.

God I was tired. My head hurt, my eyes felt like grit, and my body was stiff, but I wasn't about to stop. Ailynda stood in the far corner of the large office I and the other guys shared with a whole group of other agents watching me. I felt her eyes even when I wasn't looking at her. She wasn't pushing me, she wasn't saying anything that would make me go faster or even go at all. She was just a silent sentinel there- watching as my fingers flew across the keys of my computer. I was running multiple searches and hacking into data basis as if the whole of Oz was on my ass.

"You should rest." she whispered at some point but I ignored her.

"I've got twelve." I announced after a few minutes of silence. "Is that right?"

I heard her sigh and looked up. "Is that right?" I asked again, my voice hard.

She sighed and shook her head. "It's a start." was all she would say.

I had started with the information May had given me and it had grown from there. I had meant to start the search program, let it run all night, and come back fresh in the morning. That had been the plan until it had beeped seconds after it started, spitting out the name Daniel Rhys Anderson age seven. Snaggle tooth and all, I couldn't stop there, I refused to stop there.

Before I knew it I had twelve names in twelve different jurisdictions and the MO was all the same. Ruthie Marie Carlton age ten, was the oldest and the second to be taken. She had fought, not going as quietly as the first one- Matthew Jacob Moore age six. Her room had been torn apart and how her parents hadn't heard the struggle was beyond the investigating officers.

I could see it. Her room had been on a second floor with five rooms between her and her parents. The mess, while great, wasn't anything that would have made a loud noise. Scattered clothes, thrown toys, and over turned chair would not have made enough noise to wake mom and dad. Like the others, her window had been either left opened -which the parents denied- or had been professionally done by the perp. I was leaning more toward a professional. Her body had been found four days later in her school's playground, draped lovingly over a tetter-totter as if she'd just fallen asleep there. I thanked Shinigami that the autopsy had been clean for rape or any other kind of sexual mutilation, that was obviously not this what this guy was getting off on.

"Duo, the sun is rising." Ailynda whispered to me as she passed by again.

"I know." I stretched my aching joints and caught the yawn before it escaped. "I just want to finish this."

"You may not be the same as the others who came before but you are certainly more determined." she murmured as her hand swept over my shoulders making me shiver. It was like a big jolt of caffeine and gave me the extra energy I needed.

"There are just too many different agencies working on this." I groused. How were they suppose to learn anything if they didn't talk to each other? "They're not even focusing on where the children were found much less how they were taken. There are two only fifty miles apart but because there are in two different counties they are investigated as if they aren't the same. God, this is insane. I thought with the advent of the Preventers that law enforcement had learned to talk to each other!"

"Duo, calm down. Getting agitated isn't going to help." Ailynda tried, but quite frankly her 'voice of reason' was starting to grate a little.

This bastard was evil. Worse than anything I had come across on the streets of L2. He was going into perfectly safe homes and taken them as if they were laying on the open streets. What he did after that was anyone's guess but it wasn't good since they all wound up dead in the end. I grunted as I finished off my e-mail to Une demanding the case and dove back into my search. I don't know how much time passed but I ignored the sun coming into the window and before I knew it I could feel the guys coming in.

"Duo?" Quatre's soft voice reached my ears like a breeze. "You didn't come home last night."

How long had I been here? All night more than likely. I didn't bother to look up from my newly appointed task of cross referencing the home areas as I answered him. "I know. I got a big lead and had to come in to do some background on it." Inside I was jumping up and down that the guys were finally here. They would be able to see the patterns I might have missed. "I need you guys to look over those and tell me what you think."

I could hear the papers being shuffled as my search spit out another pattern of possibilities. This was getting bigger with each parameter I set. There was no way I'd be able to make these morons see the truth without Une's backing.

"Duo, where did this come from?" Trowa sounded almost surprised but I let that slide and used it as an excuse to take my eyes off the screen.

With a sighed I leaned back and tried to wipe the sleep away. "Last night. . . " Ailynda began to motion for me to be careful about what I told them and it made me loose my train of thought for a few seconds. I must have looked spaced out when I finally said, "My contact told me about it."

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Quatre rubbing his chest and wondered for a moment which emotions he was reading, mine or the guys. Heero looked ready to murder while Wufei was a hair's breath from taking up his sword in vengeance.

"We're going to need a bigger room." was Heero's only comment as he breezed through two more reports and put a cap on his emotions. The Perfect Soldier was stepping up, I'd known he would. "What is the latest count?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. I could see their faces, all of them, even though May was the only one I'd actually met.

There was Matthew Jacob Moore and Ruthie Marie Carlton, killed a month apart, but of course he was just getting started. They were followed by Calvin Jonas, Maria Caperton, and Leslie Banks, in quick succession as if he'd gotten on some kind of high with the first two and needed a big fix. They were taken within days of each other but killed weeks apart. A month passed before Adam Marks disappeared. The day he was found Lester Holt went missing from his home. Two days later, Amber Jameson was taken. Three days after that Lester was found, Hank Baskins disappeared. Followed by Gillian Monroe and Daniel Anderson. May seemed to be his last but that didn't make her the final victim just meant the perp had found a reason to stop for awhile.

"Twelve, all under the age of ten." I could not believe how old my voice suddenly sounded.

Trowa grunted and Wufei fumed.

"The pattern is night time abductions with the child missing for three to five days before the body is found in a public area." Heero read the report slowly before pulling more papers from the stack. "A pattern that the locals can't seem to follow."

Leave it to him to find the crux of the matter. I sighed tiredly and wished, not for the first time in the last twenty-four hours that I had ignored Ailynda. "It's because it happens in so many different jurisdictions and never in the same one twice."

"Have you taken this to Une yet?" Quatre, ever the diplomat. He'd tried to make it sound so nonchalant as he carefully began to sort through the documents so that they would be in some kind of order. "She should know about this before we begin our search."

"I sent her an e-mail and scheduled a meeting at her convenience." I rubbed my face again and yawned. God I was so tired all of a sudden. "She sent word that she'd be with us at ten."

Heero nodded as he helped Quatre gather up the stacks. I was ready to let the guys handle this. It was too much and all I could see any more were their faces.

"How long have you been up, Maxwell?" Wufei's voice cut into one of my first good yawny stretches since I'd sat down and made me realize how long I had been sitting here.

"What day is it?" I joked, knowing that none of them would let it slide.

"All night, I'd bet." Trowa added in as he shuffled through the few pages he still had. "Better get him some coffee."

Wufei nodded and grabbed my arm. "Come on, Maxwell, we'll get some caffeine in you and you'll feel better."

I could only nodded and let Wufei lead me to the cafeteria and coffee. He even bought me a giant mocha, which usually made him cringe. Something about 'caffeine and Maxwells not mixing well'. Okay so sometimes it made me hyper but not this time. I was in a haze as I drank the thing and didn't really register that the others had covered the conference room walls with the victims in order.

I wanted to help them really I did, but I could feel the energy fading fast. I was just too tired, with too many things running around in my head, to help them with anything. Quatre took me from Wufei, who went out and came back with a pillow and blanket. I wasn't even awake enough to a crack joke about it before Q had me laid down and covered up, Ailynda's sweet words that lulled me to sleep and kept the dark away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Funny how things work out. If anyone reads my livejournal (which I doubt) you will see that just today I was bemoaning the fact that the muse of my writing had left me with no motivation whatsoever. I decided to give it a shot at attempting a story and lo and behold here is the result. New chapters to this one. Sometimes things get a little weird and still work out. Enjoy.**

* * *

7.

Sometimes things just get to be too much. They never used to. Used to I could go 48 to 72 hours without needing sleep or food or any kind of comfort but that's all changed. Sorta makes me mad knowing that some of the basics that I relied on for so long aren't there any more. Of course Sally could give me a long drawn out explanation of how I hadn't really been active for a year and how traumatic the 'mergence' had truly been on my body would take more than that to get back to peak performance. All that really didn't mean anything to me so I didn't go to her. I knew why I'd fallen into that exhaustive sleep, it was because of the kids. That and the fact that Ailynda would only tell me 'it's a start'. I was truly beginning to hate those words.

When I woke the next morning in my own bed, I barely remembered Wufei and Heero bringing all of us home and putting me under the covers to finish my sleep. When the sun woke me the next morning I was wide eyed and nearly roaring to go- if you can call falling out of bed and gracefully tripping over the sheets- roaring.

I know, I know I'm a Gundam pilot and suppose to be the best of the best of the best but hey- I'm not a morning person. Never was. So sheets, covers, clothes, are all things in my own personal obstacle course to the bath. It's one of the few things besides caffeine that's gets me going after a dead sleep fall. That's what I call those states- dead sleep fall- it's so much better than exhaustive sleep induced coma and doesn't last as long. Or so I've been told.

Breakfast was an interesting affair. The guys were worried but trying hard not to let me see it, well all except for Q. Mother-hen was in full force and directed at me. I tried to calm all of them but after an hour of '_are you tired?' what can I get you? Don't do that, I'll take care of it.'_ There was only so much I could take. I didn't explode- of that I was proud of- but I did tell them to stop as loud as possible. Made Heero jump and Quatre scurry for something for _me_ to drink. I just shook my head and accepted that they were in need of something more to focus on and let go.

Until they told me we were not going to the office.

"What do you mean we're not going in?!" My voice rose with each word and it's a thing I really hate most times, not this time though. "We have a case that's been sitting for four years and I'm not going to let it sit another day!"

"Duo, we . . ." Quatre's placating voice was back, but I was having none of it.

I cut him off. "No, Quatre, I'm not pushing this aside to wait for the jurisdictional bull shit to clear!"

"Duo. . ." Trowa started but I turned on him.

"This bastard is killing kids so that no one can catch him! He's making it look so easy that no one has even tried to put it all together and I'm not going to let him get his hands on another kid!"

"Duo, they are helping." Ailynda's lyrical voice cut in and I turned to face her calm demeanor. "They are taking all of the evidence to heart just as you have."

"Bull shit!" I shouted at her. "They didn't see how many are left!" Pointing a finger at her, I pinned her down. "You thought I forgot about that didn't you? Well, I have a photographic memory and I saw more than twelve, so you tell me how many more. NOW!"

Ailynda didn't looked shocked so much as dismayed. I'd forgotten about the guys being there. "Duo."

"Duo?" Heero's voice superimposed over hers but I ignored him and kept my eyes on her.

"There are some things that you have to discover for yourself." she told me sadly. "It's part of the rules."

"Rules!" That set me off. Who in the hell comes up with rules for the dead!

I must have said that last part out loud because Trowa answered me. "Shinigami."

I whirled around to look at him. His face was placid, his eyes serious, and he was looking at me with such honesty that I had to rewind what he'd said.

"Shinigami makes the rules for the dead." he said again as he stepped toward me. Gentle hands touched my arms as his eyes met mine. "You can still them can't you? One is here now acting as speaker for the others and that's how you found out about the children."

I could hear Quatre's gasp and felt my two Asian friends stiffen up. I had hoped to keep this a secret for a while longer since everyone, including myself, had forgotten about it. I didn't want them to worry or think I was crazy or get all strange on me. Some past memories were hard to shake and the ones of my friends and some of my family turning away from me in fear and disbelief was- oddly enough- one of them.

"Duo?" I looked away from Trowa and just nodded my affirmation.

"Duo, why didn't you say anything?" Quatre's voice sounded surprised.

"I didn't want. . ." I started to say but knew how stupid it would sound so I just shrugged.

"Maxwell, we would stand by you in the fires of hell." Wufei admonished. "A few ghosts are not going to chase us from your side."

Heero grunted his affirmation and before I knew it I was enveloped in a group hug- one I didn't start. It was great.

She was doing it again. Smiling. Ailynda had been smiling since the guys had hugged me. We had taken the afternoon so that I could explain everything, as I knew it, and to form a plan on how to get the bastard who was killing kids. At one point I had looked at Ailynda to verify something and she was smiling. And kept smiling until now it was getting on my nerves.

"What?" I demanded as I slammed my pen on the table. This morning we had gone back to the office and settled into the conference room to work on the case. This, at least, let me talk to _her_ without looking insane.

'Your family is very unique.' she said, still smiling. 'I am pleased to see this change.'

I sighed and kept the angry retort inside. Biting my tongue- another change in my own personal repertoire, go me.

"Thanks."

"Duo we're receiving more data." Wufei walked into the room with his eyes on the report he was carrying. "Seems some of the jurisdictions have miss-placed evidence or never really gathered it to begin with." Looking up at me, he smirked. "Une is not pleased to say the least."

I had to grin, for once she was not mad at me. "So did she read them the riot act or give them the raised eyebrow?"

Wufei handed me the files and sat down at the table next to me. "Neither. Simply informed them that she was taking over the case and to send her all the paperwork they had."

"That must've gone over well." I had pop off, some things were still the same. "So how did you get passed Beverly without getting all mad and red?"

I loved picking at Wufei's reaction to Une's super-efficient assistant. I was used to flirting and small talk with a wink, but Wufei always seemed to get all bunched up around the woman. It was fun to watch.

Wufei sniffed and opened up his laptop. "I simply called Une instead of going to her office."

I laughed. I couldn't help it and fell out of my chair. I was almost surprised by the sudden stop but Wufei's laugh was worth the slight pain to my ego.

"I ran the names of the children you had." Quatre said as he entered the room, his eyes looked on his own paperwork. "The families were the most likely suspects and the police drove them into the ground trying to get confessions and the like. One officer even arrested the father and had him all but convicted before it was discovered that his alibi checked out."

"We're going to run into that with almost all of them." Heero announced as he and Trowa joined us. "It's standard procedure to look at the family first. Especially in this type of situation."

I frowned and looked at Ailynda who only bowed her head. Gods this was getting better and better with every step we took.

"Where does that put us, information wise?" I had to ask even though I already knew the answer.

Quatre sighed heavily- clue one. Heero began punching things into his laptop- clue two and Trowa was pacing- BIG clue three. While Wufei helped me up and dusted me off.

"Matthew Jacob Moore, age six. Born on L-1 but his family moved to base ten six months before he was found dead. His body was found on a bench, laid out as if asleep, in an apartment complex that was not his." Heero's matter-of-fact reading of the first death was clean and concise. It was his way of getting everyone back on track and keeping me on point. "At first the police thought he had drown in the fountain near the bench and pulled out, but he wasn't wet and showed no signs of ever having been. Autopsy revealed that he had no marks of struggle or of bounds but had been heavily dosed of hydrocodone. It had been enough to kill him."

"His father had been the first suspect, but his alibi checked out. He was out of town at a conference when Matthew had disappeared." Wufei added, checking the reports he'd brought with him. "His mother, however, first reported him missing at 1600 hours which made the police think something was off. Turns out she works a thirds shift at the local factory and only gave his room half a glance before going to bed. He usually got himself up and went to school on his own, when he wasn't there when she woke she called the police to report him missing."

"Which is also why the trail was so cold." Quatre added. "The officers in charge assumed he had stayed after classes to do some work or report to a babysitter. Even his mother was surprised to learn he hadn't even been in class that day."

I didn't want to think bad things about the Moore family. They were a family trying to make ends meet after a war that had taken so much. Who was I to pass judgement I barely understood how families worked.

"Colin Blake Jonas, age eight." Heero began his next report, making me blink.

"Wait what about Ruthie?" I had to ask, she was the second one and had fought the guy.

Heero looked confused for a second and then shared one of those 'looks' with Trowa.

"Duo, we didn't get anything on Ruthie." Quatre told me in that 'don't scare the wild animal' voice.

I frowned at him and then glared at all of them. "Ailynda!"

The guys jumped but none of them wanted to act as if they were startled by my sudden call. I wanted answers, I needed answers, and there was only one place I knew where I could get them. Running from the room, I headed to the one place where I could converse with the 'dead' and not be looked at funny or interrupted unexpectedly. I hit the roof at full speed.

"Ailynda!" I spun around trying to catch sight of her, knowing that she had to be there. "I want to see Ruthie!"

Ailynda appeared, sadness on her face, as I paced angrily toward her. She knew the answers and had taken it upon herself not to share. I wanted to know why.

'Calm down, Duo.' she murmured but knew that would not make me settle.

"Duo, calm down." Quatre had followed me, I knew he would. When he placed a hand on my arm to comfort me, I shrugged him off and stalked toward my own personal ghost.

'He hugged her to death, Duo.' Ailynda sighed and looked away, her eyes tearing up.

"Duo, we'll find something!"

I turned on Quatre, Shinigami rearing up as I spat out one word. "Heprin."

* * *

8.

Trowa jumped at Duo's sudden shout and his race from the room. The exchange with Heero had left both unprepared for Shinigami's reaction and therefore slower to react themselves. Wufei and Quatre hadn't been caught so unawares and raced after their braided friend.

"Where's the fire?" Zechs asked as he was pushed aside by the braided Maxwell whirlwind. He'd stayed against the wall as Winner and Chang raced passed only to be followed by Yuy and Barton in quick succession.

"Don't ask." Noin muttered and grabbed his arm to take them in the opposite direction of the Gundam fray.

Wufei and Quatre were only six paces behind him as Duo hit the roof door. They had known where he was headed the minute he'd shouted the woman's name. The roof was the only place their God of Death could shout without drawing attention to his conversation.

"Ailynda!" They watched as he spun around the roof like a dervish before he stopped and glared at a place along the edge. "I want to see Ruthie!"

"Duo, calm down." Quatre tried to calm their friend but he shrugged him off and stalked toward the ghost only he could see. "Duo, we'll find something!"

He turned on Quatre and glared. It was one of Heero's looks times three. "Heprin."

It took them all day to run down all the details of all the deaths Duo knew about. Ailynda would not give him the names, nor introduce him to, any of the others he told them about and it made their braided baka frustrated. He had paced the conference room for two hours while the others had worked. Had drank six cups of coffee, ten cans of soda, and eaten four sandwiches, all of which he had gone and gotten along with all the food and drinks for the others. He had been told fourteen times to settle down but each growl from Heero or threat from Wufei only made him lite for four seconds before he'd be up and moving again.

"Each case was either ruled a familiar killing or not a murder at all." Trowa announced as Duo made his ninety-eighth circuit of the table. "The drugs used were simple and some easy to get."

"What do you mean?" Duo voice was rough from little use and his earlier screaming fit.

Trowa stepped over to the board and looked at each picture as he spoke. "Matthew was killed with a high does of Hydrocodone. It was found in his system but not in enough traces to alert the police. Ruthie Marie Carlton died from massive internal injuries. The coroner said it was like she had been squeezed to death, the internal organs were mush."

"Heprin." Duo nodded as he followed Trowa as he pinned the cause to the corresponding board as he spoke.

"That would explain the injuries and why they assumed she'd been in some kind of fall or accident. They even pondered whether or not she'd been hit by a car but the injuries wouldn't fit any of the things they were speculating about." Quatre said as he looked through his few notes. "The rest of the case just sorta got lost by the locals when a mass explosion took out two of the industrial complexes nearby."

"Calvin Jonas died from lorazepam." Trowa announced as he looked at the face of the smiling eight year old. "Though not usually fatal he was laid sitting up underneath the tree and suffocated when his lungs collapsed under his own weight."

Moving one step over, he continued, "Maria Caperton was found in a fountain and assumed to have drown. The ME found traces of lithium in her system but didn't think anything of it since water was found in her lungs. The lithium was noted but not followed up on."

Next picture. "Leslie Banks was found on the merry-go-round at the local kids park. It was a place where most of the locals frequented." Looking at his notes, Trowa paused. "The ME stated the cause of death was metabolic acidosis, possible causes were listed as antifreeze poisoning."

"Antifreeze? What's that?" Quatre asked from his spot at the table.

"Used in the twentieth centuries for keeping combustion engines from freezing up in the cold weather." Duo commented as he looked at the paper over Trowa's shoulder. "They stopped using it when they changed the engines to something that didn't require fossil fuels."

Trowa nodded. "That's what the ME writes on the side. He found it implausible and made a note of ethylene glycol."

Duo nodded as if he was consulting with Ailynda again and moved on as Trowa did.

"Adam Marks was found on a bench in the courtyard of Chesterwood Complex. He didn't live there and no one recognized him when he was found, but he could not be revived." Trowa read on. "The ME determined that he drown in his own vomit. Not a pretty death. There were marks on the body from seizures that were strong enough to cause heavy bruising on the back, arms, and legs. The ME took blood but couldn't determine a true cause of death other than the obvious."

"Methanol." Duo murmured, his eyes slightly glazed for a moment. "He was given methanol, wood alcohol."

Quatre gasped, a hand going to his heart, while Heero and Wufei exchanged angry growls.

"Lester Holt found in the waiting room of a children's clinic forty miles from his family home." Trowa announced. "He had been there for hours before anyone checked on him. They tried to revive and treat but it was determined that he had been dead for awhile. He had bruising on his chest, knees, and road rash on his face. Doctors figured he'd been hit by a car and left in at the clinic for treatment, however, autopsy found fifteen undigested xanax in his stomach. When the ME did a blood work up he found high levels of the drug and determined that while the injuries sustained by the car, the true cause of death was a xanax overdose."

Duo nodded as he read over the card Trowa pinned on the board.

"Amber Jameson found on a bench in a public park covered in rags. At first it was thought that she was just one of the homeless." Trowa paused for a moment. "It was weird that they thought that since it had been on the news about the missing eight year old. Her family had even tried to plea her case on most of the news vids."

"What did the police say when they ran her." Wufei asked in a husky, angry voice.

"They were confused by the fact that she looked as if she were mildly sunburned. Her skin was pink." Trowa answered. "The examiner at first attributed it to being outside for so long but then he noted her blue fingertips and lips. Sure signs of oxygen depravation which would not happen out in the open like that. He ran her prints to find her ID and then began the autopsy."

Trowa shook his head sadly as he read the report. "He determined that the cause of death was carbon dioxide poisoning. Where it happened he could not determined."

Duo's finger brushed over the face of the little eight year old girl smiling up out of the black and white photo. It was a sad thing to know that any potential she had would not be realized.

"Robert Baskins."

"Hank." Duo murmured.

Trowa looked at him surprised and nodded. "Hank Baskins was found on the beach lying in the sand. There were no marks or any outward signs of injury. It was assumed that he fell asleep and died of exposure since the temperature had dropped into the teens the night before. There was no autopsy done and the family hadn't made a missing persons report. The mother died in childbirth and the father was out of town on business. Hank was suppose to be staying with friends but there was some confusion as to whom he was suppose to be staying with."

"The boy was nine!" Quatre shouted. "How could they not know where he was?"

Heero laid a hand on the small blonde and shook his head slowly. "The area was re-built from an old base and was nearly autonomous. Kids spent time in the courtyard and school being watched by all the adults. They didn't even realize one of them was missing until he was found on the beach that day."

"How long was he gone, can anyone say?" Wufei growled.

Trowa shook his head and Duo refused to look at the report or the boy's picture.

"Gillian Moore was found in an open field on a stilt bed. The bed was hand made, but no distinguishing marks from tools. In fact one of the officers there was an ex-Oz and remarked how much like a barracks bed it looked." Those words made all the boy's share a look that spoke volumes.

"What else?" Heero asked. "What was the cause?"

Trowa slowly shook his head as he looked over the report. "No marks, no outward signs of any injuries. The ME decided not to even open her up since there was no reason for it. No tests were done, the family wouldn't even agree to the rape kit or drug testing. She was dressed as a princess and looked serene, they didn't want to know."

"When had she gone missing?" Quatre asked softly his eyes locked on the picture of the little six year old.

"She hadn't even been gone long enough for a report to be made." Wufei announced. "Her parents took her to the transport station, verified by the surveillance, and placed her on a train bound for her grandparent's home in Rockwell. It was a four hour trip. The grandparents were waiting but when she didn't get off the train, they figured she'd be on the next one which would arrive in five hours. There was a lot of missed messages and confusing communications between the parents and grandparents before anyone determined that the girl had left the train shortly after boarding. Surveillance showed her leaving with a tall male but there were no shots of his face or hers."

'Without an autopsy there is no way to know how she died." Trowa placed a card with all the information they knew on the board while Duo drew a big question mark on a cause of death card.

"Daniel Anderson."

"Rhys." Duo corrected.

"Rhys Anderson was found on a lounge in a public pool. When he was examined it was found that his blood alcohol level was so high that the ME did the test three times." Trowa read. "Alcohol poisoning was determined as the cause of death. A local man was arrested since he was a known alcoholic and used to lure kids into his home with promises of drink. It was determined that he didn't physically hurt the boy but with the amount of alcohol found in his residence he was charged with the accidental death of a minor. The case was closed."

Duo grunted at those words and added the death card to the board as Trowa added in the information.

"Last is Elizabeth May Quintan, six." Trowa shared a quick smile with Duo, who returned it before he went on. "Found outside the local police station in Whitten, seventeen miles from her home in Sherman. No outward signs of injury or trauma and the officers were at a loss as to how she'd gotten there without being seen. They gathered all the copies of CC coverage in the area but found nothing. One minute the bench was empty the next she was there. An autopsy was done but no trauma was found on the inside. Tox revealed atropine in her system. While at the time it wasn't a lot it was determined to be the cause of death."

"He's using known drugs that leave little to no trace or if there is trace it's anomalous." The boys all turned at the sound of Une's voice. She was standing in the doorway, arms crossed, a look a seething anger on her face. "What do these children have in common? What do the parents have in common? What is the killers common link? Gentlemen I want answers and while I would like to have the yesterday I'll settle for as soon as possible."

They all nodded and watched as she turned and left, her steps heavier than when she had entered.

"What do they all have in common?" Quatre asked as he began to scan the personal files of each of the families.

"Little to nothing." Trowa answered as he and Duo joined them at the large table.

"The families lived in various types of homes and landscapes." Heero informed them. "Some houses, some apartments, some base-like complexes, nothing to place them in similar living conditions."

"The parents all had differing jobs." Wufei added, taking over the briefing. "Three of the father's worked in corporate businesses, two of the mothers are deceased, four more are in scientific fields and work together while the remaining range from mechanic to waitress. There is no common thread in their backgrounds. Few were in the military, rebellion or Oz, none of them had any ties to war time manufacturers or mobile suit production. In fact as far as the background goes, there were only two that had any ties in the war at all."

"The only true commonality is that five moved from the colonies to areas that were under revitalization." Trowa added after looking through the information on his lap top.

"They all lived in areas being revitalized." Duo murmured as he read through the files on his own computer.

"That's interesting." Quatre agreed, his voice coming softly. "Maybe it's not the people but the places."

The five boys all looked from one to the other before jumping from the table and grabbing keyboard, lap tops, and hard copies to see if they were on the right track.

_PS the POV change is starting to wear on me and I may change the way I write future chapters. Not really sure about it yet since this one caused me so much trouble, just keep an eye out in case I do change it up._


	5. Chapter 5

**well kids here is my Christmas/New Years gift to those of you who still stuck with me. The next Chapter is being worked on as I upload this and will add it when it's ready- which if you keep your fingers crossed will be tomorrow at the latest (maybe). I want to thank all who still read this and those who still like my stuff. RL sucks and I'm doing my best to begin to write again. We'll see how that works. I know that the 10th is short but it will all come together. For now- enjoy. FYI- this is almost solved so becareful, my children. **

* * *

9.

I stood there staring at the wall of photos for maybe an hour. Quatre's words about the places had struck cords with us all but revitalization was going on everywhere. The colonies were riddle with places that were being re-built and made better all due to Relena's words of a new start. The whole Earth Sphere had gotten behind the project and for the last eighteen months jobs were focused on getting the world and it's man-made satellites made new and whole.

So what was so special about these places? What made them so different from all the other places being re-built, re-made, re-done? Bases from Oz, Romerfeller, and the Rebellion were all being added to the list of places to be opened up and made public safe. The automatic base that Hank Baskins had lived in was only the latest twist to the whole 'make it better' scenario. All of the families had relocated to places that were new or nearly new and none of them stood out. So what was it that bugged me so much?

It was the field that kept it all from coming together in a set pattern. It was a confusing piece in an otherwise complete puzzle. It stuck out like a sore thumb not letting any of the other pieces fit correctly. It was frustrating and making me edger than ever. I had tried to keep myself from making trouble but when I get edgy I get hyper and that always made me seek out ways in which to get rid of some excess energy.

"Maxwell, if you don't stop pacing I'm going to have to tie you down." Wufei's voice was hard but only half serious as I made what may have been my forty-seventh pass around the table.

I would pace the twice in front of the 'picture wall' and then start around the table where the guys were all sitting. Then I would stop and look at each picture that depicted where the bodies were discovered before walking twice around the table and stopping in front of Gillian Monroe's section. I don't know how long I would stare at the open field and bed frame before I would start the whole thing over again. I knew I had to be driving the guys nuts, but I couldn't help it.

"Duo." Trowa's voice finally penetrated my thoughts as I came to my stop again. I had gotten good at ignoring Wufei's rants and had basically tuned them all out, so who knows how many times he'd said my name before I realized he was speaking. "Duo."

Oh yeah. "Yeah?" I pulled my eyes off the photo I'd been staring out who knows how long, to focus on Trowa's curious face. I hadn't even heard him leave the table to come stand behind me.

Trowa's lips form a smile that could only be termed as 'indulgent' before he spoke again. "What's bothering you about Gillian Monroe?"

"Noticed that did you?" I smiled softly, leave it to Trowa to notice my reaction to her 'resting' place. I sighed and stretched my back as I thought of an answer. "All the others were found so publicly, but not her. She was in an open field in the middle of nowhere on a stilt bed. Why there? Why that field? Why not in the apartment complex inside the city limits or the barn of the nearest farm?"

Trowa frowned a moment before tilting his head in thought. I'd always admired Trowa's way of being able to think so carefully before he used any words and then making his point using so few.

"Maybe it was to make a point."

Like I said, few words straight to the point. Gah! I hate him sometimes.

"I need to see that field." Those were my few words of point. Go me.

"Is that wise?" he asked me this not to make me feel stupid, but to make sure I knew what I was asking.

When I turned to answer him I could see the other guys watching me from the table, their expressions ranged from thoughtful/worried to confused/angry. Not what I would call comforting by any means.

"Yeah. I think it's something that I have to do." I murmured. "It's the only one that doesn't fit some pattern and it's the one- I think- that may hold all the answers."

Trowa nodded and began shutting down his laptop. "I'll get the car and meet you downstairs."

And just like that, that's how I wound up in a car with Trowa at the wheel. Happily it wasn't going to be a long trip since the site was only a four hour car ride away, the silence alone would have driven me nuts.

It had been him that convinced the other guys to let just us go on this little trip alone and for that I was grateful. I know what it's like to be trapped in a car with an impatient Heero and an enraged Wufei, but worse than either is a mother-hen named Quatre. That was one nightmare I nearly didn't survive during the war.

'Duo, you need to pay attention.' Ailynda's voice whispered at me from behind but I forced myself not to acknowledge her presence with the jump she expected.

Ha! Take that ghost woman.

At her words, though, I began to notice things. First, I was no longer in a car with Trowa, but a large transport truck with several OZ soldiers. Second, the afternoon had vanished into a dark night and it was too quiet. Third, there were yellow lights blinking all around us as the truck bounced along the road.

I kept really still, almost afraid that they would recognize me. I was the God of Death after all and an enemy of every one of these soldiers. I didn't want any of them to start shooting before I could determine how much danger I was in; however, several looked right at me without any recognition. Once I realized that I was able to speak without fear I leaned closer and whispered to the nearest OZ guy. "Where are we going?"

He was young and I could tell he was scared. He shook a little when he looked at me before motioning with his head to the other side of the truck. The others in the truck tensed as we entered a bright spot.

I frowned as we enter a high barbed fenced in area with flashing yellow lights. This wasn't a base I recognized nor did I know the faces of any of the men I was with. Not that I knew all the soldiers but these men were not the hardened warriors I knew or fought against. These men were something else and they were scared beyond measure.

I watched as the truck came to a stop and the back was thrown open. Lab coats! No! Five Doctors, not mine, were standing behind the truck with clip boards marking off names as the men exited the truck. I remained where I was seated, afraid to move, knowing that the vision might vanish.

"Duo, we're here." Trowa's hand did that for me. I jerked and nearly screamed when his hand squeezed my arm.

"Sorry. I was. . ." No way was I going to continue that thought out loud.

Getting out of the car was like stepping into a new world. The fence and yellow lights were long gone and the building, which I never did see, was leveled. This was a nearly pristine field of weeds and in the distance there was a pond, dry.

"Where are we?" I asked as I looked around.

"It's called Widow's Field." Trowa and I turned as one to face the new voice and I nearly laughed at the paunchy cop that was walking toward us. Once again Trowa kept me from doing something stupid, like drawing my gun or slapping him to the ground.

While the officer talked I looked around and wasn't too surprised to see the same OZ soldier standing near the pond, silently watching us. I murmured something softly and just starting walking aimlessly in his direction. I knew Tro would keep the 'fuzz' from following or asking any questions that I needed to answer.

'I remember you.' the young soldier said, his voice was husky and soft. He was still wearing the same uniform I'd first seen him in but there were smudges all over it. Not blood but not dirt either and I didn't want to take the time to get a closer look. His hair was different though, the crew cut was marred by bald patches- like places a Doctor would put electrodes or something equally sinister.

I gave a single nod for him to continue and just kept looking at the dry pond and horizon. He seemed to know that he was dead and that I was the only one who could see and hear him. He was just so accepting that I nearly jumped when he spoke again.

'They did terrible things to us here.' He told me. 'I stayed because I knew someone would come eventually. She told me they would.'

I looked where he nodded and saw Ailynda smile at me sadly. Damn, another ghost she knew and didn't say anything about.

'I joined up so that my family would have money.' the young soldier continued ignoring my glare at Ailynda. He sounded and looked so sad. 'They never knew what happened to me.'

"Who?" I caught myself before I spoke too much aloud. I wasn't really far enough from the cop and Trowa to be able to explain why I was talking to myself.

I had to smile though when he snapped to attention and rattled off his name as if before an Officer. 'Private David Ambrose, reporting!' he snapped me a quick salute. 'An honor to meet the God of Death himself, Pilot 02.'

I nearly chocked when he said that! Did all of them know who I was?

"Sheriff Miles has gone to get some paper work." Trowa announced as he came up behind me. "Who's here?"

I looked at Trowa, who merely gave me that one eyed look that said more than his words. Yeah, yeah one of _those_ looks. I can pull off a 'Heero' or a 'Wufei' but never could get 'Trowa' down so I was still in envy of it.

"Duo." And the tone that said, stop starring and answer me before I slap you, voice. It's always the quiet ones.

"Oz soldier." I answered before he gave me the 'eyebrow' and the 'voice' and turned to give the young soldier my full attention. "Private David Ambrose, report."

Ambrose smiled faintly before returning to the sad resignation that had taken up permanent residence on his face. He walked around us, looking at things I couldn't see and was glad of that once he started talking.

'You were on the truck with us, but no one else saw you.' he said with a sigh. 'I knew then that my time had come. No one sees the God of Death and lives.'

"But. . ." How had he seen me in the past when I wasn't really there until just today?

'I can't explain it.' he answered for me, still walking around us. 'My mother used to say I was one of the gifted. Maybe that's why they were so interested in us. We were all the gifted ones. All something that made us different from normal people.'

"David, what went on here?" I had to ask. Trowa stood behind me as I kept pace with young soldier, a silent watcher.

David just kept his eyes on what he could see as he walked slowly toward the tree line. 'You vanished when we arrived and they took us into the ground. It was a lab.' He pointed to a gnarled tree. 'That was the doorway. It's all gone now. They made sure of that.'

I had to frown as I walked over to the tree and looked at it carefully. I could see where the hidden panel had been and how quickly it had been ripped out.

'They wanted us to lead them to the Gundams.' David went on to tell me as he moved toward the middle of the barren field. 'We tried, no that's wrong. I tried to tell them that I wasn't gifted that way but they wouldn't listen. They. . ." His hand went to a shaved patch on his head, 'they cut into me. I could hear the others screaming. Never did find out what they did to them.'

I moved after him, keeping pace, Trowa right behind me like a shadow. Not sure what he was thinking as we walked around the field and I listened to David's story.

'We were stationed in the small town nearby. They were so innocent that they just let us take over.' David's voice became dreamy as he went on. 'We barely saw them. They were of a strict religious sect. They didn't care about the war or the soldiers or the lab. The scientists would dine with the town leaders and use prisoners as trial studies before they worked on us. When the Gundams began make strafing runs on supply lines the lab was the shut down. They put the survivors to death by injection. I was killed in a fire. I'm not sure they even realized I was still alive when they torched the barracks.'

I jerked as the landscape changed and I could see what he saw. Fire lit the sky and spewed from the ground like Hell rising. It was chaos and destruction that had nothing to do with the war. Silhouetted against the red light of death were the five scientists I'd seen before. They were smiling and clutching their paperwork like they'd discovered the Holy Grail and were now burying it.

'Bastards.' I had to grin at David's single word to describe them. 'They knew exactly what they were doing.'

The flames faded and David turned to look at me full face. This time I could see the burns and knew how he'd died because of the blackness around his nose. He'd suffocated before he'd burned and that's why he looked so -whole.

'It's all payback.' He murmured. 'They can cover the ground and plant flowers and rebuild the buildings, turning them into other things, but they can't erase the truth.'

_Oh My God!!!_ The barracks!

David smiled. 'Now you know.'

"Now I know." I nodded and returned his smile as he looked at the approaching light.

'Will you tell my brother that I died well?' He asked me. 'My sister is at peace but my brother didn't understand. Please tell him that it's all right now.'

I nodded as David turned into the light and was heralded to his rest. "Rest in Peace, David Ambrose."

I heard Trowa's gasp as the soldier began his climb up the celestial steps. I sorta figured that Heaven or Hell we all had to walk those stairs. Weird.

10.

Trowa had agreed to drive just so the others wouldn't fuss. It was the least he could do, besides he was one of the few of them that hadn't really seen Duo at 'work'. He'd been curious, but hesitated on asking pointed questions. Quatre had told him about Duo talking to 'air' and he'd seen when he confronted Ailynda, but none of it was what he really was interested in. He'd seen how the 'seer' at the circus worked but knew that was just for show. Duo was real and he wanted to see, really see, what Duo went through.

It was unusual for the braided wonder to be so quiet and the silence, for once bothered Trowa but he wasn't the type to start a conversation so he let the silence enclose them until they were to their destination.

"Duo." Trowa looked over at his friend and noticed that his eyes were dilated and he was looking - strange. Reaching out, Trowa laid a gentle hand on his friend's arm as he said, "Duo, we're here."

Duo jerked but didn't jump or cry out, but Trowa could tell he'd been 'seeing' something other than the area they were really in. He could, also, tell that Duo hadn't noticed the police car parked two feet from his door.

"Where are we?" He asked as he looked around.

Trowa tried to give him a hint that their was someone else there but the man's voice did that for him.

"It's called Widow's Field." Trowa smirked as they turned as one to face the new voice. "Sheriff Tucker Miles, Waltalk City."

The officer was older, about forty-five or so and wore his uniform as if he'd been poured into it. He had a very pronounced paunch and walked as if he were a cowboy with bowed legs. His hand rested on his utility belt as if it would or could fall off his waist at any time. He was definitely small town, if one could call them that any more.

"Rumor has it that a lot of good boys died here over the years." the man went on to say as he came to a stop on a small rise so that he was looking down on the two boys. It was clear what he thought of the young Preventor agents, but wasn't about to bite the hand that may help one day. "People come here once a year to lay flowers and tie ribbons on trees and hold large picnics under the guise of memorials. That was up until a few years ago when this whole place went up in a blaze of glory."

Duo murmured something and began to move away. Trowa gave the officer a look and motioned for him to walk with him as he asked his questions.

"What happened a few years ago?" Trowa asked as they walked up hill away from Duo.

The Sheriff hiked his belt up and looked out over the tree line as gathering his thoughts before he spoke. "The OZ came in and built something here. The town leaders gave them the okay and then ignored everything else."

Trowa met the man's eyes and could see the years in them as he spoke, "Waltalk City was built by fundamentalists. They were focused on their religion to the point of ignoring everything else. They turned people over to the city leaders who would in turned determine if they could be 'saved' before they were sent to OZ."

Trowa frowned. "What would OZ do with them?"

Miles shrugged, uncomfortable with the conversation but knew it had to be done. "Who knows. The leadership at the time just wanted those out who spoke against the Order."

"The blaze of glory?"

Miles nodded and sighed as he looked down at the other Preventor standing on the knoll above the dried up pond.

"About a year later, six months after the war started, the leadership was over thrown and this here field became a lake of fire." Miles' drawl became more pronounced as he spoke. "Nothing was left. No buildings, no personnel, no paperwork, nothing was left. The fence came down and the whole thing was bulldozed over a month later."

Trowa looked around trying to determine where the perimeter was located. "Was there anything left behind?"

Miles shrugged and pulled at his belt again. "Yeah, some old journals left behind by the leadership widows. I'll gather it together and you can pick it up on your way out."

Trowa nodded and gave the man the out he was looking for. "We would appreciate that."

Miles nodded and went to his car. Trowa waited for the police car to pull away before turning and taking in the scene of where Duo stood. He waited a count of twenty before talking a casual stroll down the hill to where Duo stood.

"Sheriff Miles has gone to get some paper work." Trowa said to announce his presence to his friend. "Who's here?"

Duo gave him a quick look but didn't speak which made Trowa lift his eyebrow in a silent inquiry. When that didn't make the braided boy speak, Trowa used the one voice he knew would work. The one that threatened with minute bodily harm and thus made Duo reconsider not doing or doing whatever it was he'd been caught at.

All it took was one word. "Duo."

"Oz soldier." Duo answered and then turned away, possibly to face the ghost soldier. "Private David Ambrose, report."

Trowa stood by silently as Duo seemed to be listening and following Private Ambrose with his eyes as the man moved around the field. Duo spoke few words and asked no questions as he followed his 'ghost' toward the tree line. Trowa followed, silently intrigued, and making sure to keep a look out as his friend did his 'thing'. "David, what went on here?" Duo's softly asked question made him turn and take the steps necessary to be the braided boy's shadow again.

When Duo came to a stop in front of one of the more twisted trees, Trowa watched as his friend looked over the tree before moving on. Instead of following his friend, he stepped closer to examine the tree.

Trowa ignored Duo as he leaned closer to the tree and took in the ravaged panel. It was obviously been ripped out in haste. The wiring had been shoved back into the tree knot in a haphazard way so that not to be too noticeable but not done so well that close inspection would keep it hidden. He looked around the gouged out panel trying to find a clue to who placed it. There was nothing to indicate who or what had placed the panel there or what it activated when it had worked.

He was about to reach in to take a sample when he heard Duo speak again. Straightening up, he turned to see what was going on and froze.

"Now I know." Duo nodded and returned his smile as he looked at the approaching light.

Duo nodded again as David turned into the light and was heralded to his rest. "Rest in Peace, David Ambrose."

Trowa's gasp as the soldier began his climb up the celestial steps. He hadn't expected to actually see one of them, but there he was walking up some steps that weren't there before.

"Don't pass out, Tro." Duo smiled as he took in his friend's astonished expression. "They always leave by the stairs whenever what they needed to do is done. Must be some kind of metaphor or somethin right?"

Trowa found himself nodded absently as Private Ambrose rose and vanished, the stairway following soon after. With a subtle shake of his head, Trowa put his mind back on business.

"Sheriff Miles expects us to pick up some papers on the way out of town." He informed his friend. "Are we done here?"

Duo nodded. "They torched it so there is nothing left."

Trowa nodded. He'd thought as much. "Let's get this info back to the others."

* * *

**_I was going to add more to this but have opted not to make you wait so long for the 'other side'. The next one is going to start tying things up. *waves*_**


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